VSU Graduate Student Receives Congressional Gold Medal

VALDOSTA -- Dennis Harris II, a graduate student at Valdosta
State University, has earned the Congressional Award Gold Medal --
the top national award presented by Congress -- for completing more
than 800 hours of community service and activities that foster
citizenship and leadership qualities in young people.

U.S. Representative Jack Kingston presented Harris with the award
during a ceremony at VSU’s Student Union on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

At the ceremony Kingston commended Harris for his commitment to his
community and the dedication it took from him and his family to
reach this milestone.

“The purpose of the Congressional Award is to give students and
people of all walks of life the opportunity to be involved in
something that is long term,” Kingston said. “It takes at least two
years to obtain this medal and you have to have dedicated students
and dedicated families in place to succeed. Dennis and his family
definitely fall into this category.”

Harris, a Lowndes High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree
in computer science from Valdosta State and is currently working on
a master’s degree in instructional technology.

To earn the award, participants have to set and achieve challenging
goals in four program areas: volunteer public service, personal
development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.

In achieving his goals, Harris dedicated more than 400 hours of
community service, which included working at Moody Air Force Base,
Valdosta Boys and Girls Club and the local Soup Kitchen. Additional
hours were completed in personal development, as he trained as a
firefighter and helped teach young people about fire safety and
emergency response. The physical fitness requirement was achieved
through intense training as an Air Force cadet. The final goal of
exploration was completed by working at a homeless shelter in
Panama City, Fla.

“I started volunteering because I felt it was an obligation to give
back to my community,” Harris said. “Over the years, I have learned
that there is a great deal of personal and professional benefits to
volunteer work. I encourage young people, especially college
students to volunteer in areas that are of personal interest and
may help them professionally.”

The Congressional Award is a non-competitive program that
recognizes young people for service to their community and
achieving goals that promote personal development. Established in
1979, approximately 6,500 Congressional Awards have been earned,
representing more than 1.5 million volunteer hours performed in
communities across America.